Hello all.
 
I think for trolling in Pymatuning and Wilhelm...the Hot N Tots, Flicker Shads, Flicker Minnow gets deep enough on their own to troll for walleye? I'm sure some guys are using planer boards at Pymatuning?
 
My question is...anybody running jets or dipsy divers in smaller lakes in NWPA? I know they are mainly for the great Lakes...but Two Mile/Justus Lake has holdover trout, and in the summer the trout go fairly deep. That lake is over 50 feet deep near the dam. I think there was a post on here few years back, and one guy commented saying they used downriggers at Two Mile??
 
 
Found a video of a guy using a #1 dipsy in a lake for rainbow trout in summertime, and he was using a in-line spinner with the dipsy to get down 18-20 feet. I was thinking of using smaller crank baits....but the ones I use for trolling for crappie/trout, cant get deep enough on their own.
 
Also, thinking of trying them out at Kahle trolling for what little walleyes are left....as its gets fairly deep in the middle and towards the dam.
 
I was thinking of #20 jets, and mini-dipsy along with a #1 dipsy. I only have a small boat, and don't use planer boards...so only rod holders. Anybody else ever try this...or am I just crazy?
 
 
Thanks!

It's been a few years, but I have used the mini dipsies on Pymatuning. I used them to take spinners with night crawlers closer to the bottom. A few times I was just dragging them right behind the boat in shallow water and had walleyes bite.
Never used them for dragging cranks, I used lead core for that and had some success. Don't know why the mini dipsies wouldn't work with shallow diving baits.

I've used both on Shenango and Mosquito lakes. You'll get tired of losing them to snags. The depth changes will eventually get them. I've caught walleyes at mosquito and stripers at Shenango using them but have lost too many doing so. Better off using leadcore.

I experimented for a period in time using Dipsey Divers, Jet Divers, and leadcore on local inland lakes and the Lower Allegheny.
As Chauncy had mentioned, the biggest trouble is the constantly changing bottom depths and contours.  It can make a real pain to adjust your lines all the time and still maintain the appropriate depth.  Be prepared to enoucnter some snags along the way.
That being said, I have caught plenty of fish using those said techniques.  In fact one of my best inland lake walleyes was caught on Lake Chautauqua in NY.
It was the middle of summer and I was just tinkering around trolling the deep end of the lake with some big dipsey divers. Much to my surprise I pulled an 8lb walleye- I was trolling a thunderstick down about 35ft deep over 50 fow.    

The boat that I bought, came with a few dipsey divers, trolling rods and two down riggers, so I have experimented myself too (and lost some gear).  They work great, until you snag one, which may be before you end up catching any fish on them (which happened on the first one I tried)...  Even worse is snagging with 30lb braid, and neither wanting to give...  Like said, the inland reservoirs have so many depth changes, the snags are brutal.  I had down rigger balls get hung up, so stopped with them.  I just recently put on some lead core to two trolling rods, hoping they might have a little less chance of hanging up.  They require dedicated trolling combos though, which fortunately, I had.  In line trolling weights might get you down to where you want, if you don't have any trolling combos laying around and don't want to fork out for new dedicated rods.  I have experimented with clip on trolling weights too.  These are a bit cheaper than losing dipseys, but don't have the control/charts that Dipseys have.  Although experiment enough, and you will probably work out a formula.  Line counters would help you figure out a formula.  You can also measure your spool to the first eyelet, and pull line from your spool, counting each time you pulled from spool to eyelet and figuring out how much line is out.  Find a nice flat area that you are familiar with (road bed, ect) and get your offering down to where it is just ticking.  You'll at least know how much to let out at those depths, for a starting point.  Keep a log book (or note pad on your phone) so you can remember how much line worked for you.  

Thanks guys!

Redneck trolling weights has a chart online for snap weights. It'll get you in the ballpark. I use snap weights a good bit throughout the year, let out 30-50' of line and snap the weight on. Most of the time I'll just let it free spool til it hits bottom and then crank up a couple times and run that way.

Don't forget about the old 3 way rig too. Its just as effective as any other way to get deep, with minimal loss on snags

3 way rigs are very commonly used on Niagara river drifting. Whether bait fishing or trolling stick baits it's the best way to go even in rocky bottom conditions. Most snag ups you usually only loose the weight or sinker. Make sure you use barrel swivels to prevent line twisting. 

ShenangoEyes
Redneck trolling weights has a chart online for snap weights. It'll get you in the ballpark. I use snap weights a good bit throughout the year, let out 30-50' of line and snap the weight on. Most of the time I'll just let it free spool til it hits bottom and then crank up a couple times and run that way.

Don't forget about the old 3 way rig too. Its just as effective as any other way to get deep, with minimal loss on snags

 
 
Do you use these Redneck ones? or a different type? These Rednecks weight look interesting...might have to buy a couple.

The rednek weights with colorado blade harnesses are very popular on erie (Not so much PA and East though...)  It can be a deadly program once you learn the ropes, the fish fight much harder too at 1.3 with 35' of line out vs 2.5 with 300' of lead core.  It is basically controlled drift fishing.  This is the method most of the tournament guys run. I've often wondered how I could do on Pymie running that type of spread. If the walleye suspend in the summer I bet you could clean up on them.  I know lots of guys run this kind of program with spinners on the inland lakes in the midwest and do very well.